Grounded
by Redvines1595
Summary: This is the third and final installment of the Bruce/Ari story. Bruce and Ari are on the run. Danger lies around every corner. Will they be able to make it out? And, more importantly, can they do it together?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

The airport was fairly busy. Dr. Bruce Banner was sitting in the terminal, waiting for his plane to arrive. He cautiously scanned the crowds of people, searching for SHIELD agents.

It had been nearly two weeks since he left Stark Tower. For two weeks he had been on the run. He and Ari both.

Speaking of, Arianna Martin sat down in the chair next to the scientist. "Have you seen anyone suspicious?" She asked quietly.

"No," Bruce replied. "But it wouldn't surprise me if they disguised themselves as security guards."

"You don't think they would try to pull anything on the plane, do you? They wouldn't put all those people in danger just to get to us?"

Banner took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. The people sitting across from them shot them strange looks, but he didn't care. He had gotten over he and Ari's age difference a long time ago. "If they really wanted us back, they would have found us by now."

"How do you know?" Ari asked with pleading grey eyes.

Before Banner could answer, a voice came over the intercom. "We are now boarding Flight 773 to Mumbai."

"That's us," Banner said standing up and grabbing his backpack from off the floor. He helped Ari up and together they boarded the plane.

After their boarding passes had been scanned, they walked down the air bridge to the entrance of the plane. They had to go all the way to the back of the plane to get to their seats. The location of their seats worried Banner. Hell, being on a plane worried Banner. What if something were to go wrong? He shook the thoughts from his head.

Ari could tell that Bruce was tense. He clutching the armrests so tightly that his hands were white. They hadn't even left the terminal and he was stressed. His eyes were shut. He was trying to calm himself down.

Ari reached over and ran her hand through his dark hair. She softly hummed a gentle tune. His body instantly relaxed at her touch, at the sound of her voice. "Better?" She asked him.

Bruce opened his eyes to look at her. "How did you do that?"

"She smiled at him. "I just know you."

The flight attendants, or stewardesses if you prefer, went over the emergency procedures and then they were ready to take off. The engines roared and the plane began to speed up the runway. Bruce's body tensed again as the plane accelerated. Ari continued to comfort him.

When they were finally up in the air, Bruce started to relax; not much, but it was something. He relaxed just enough to let go of the armrests and take Ari's hand instead.

A flight attendant pushing a cart stopped by them and asked, "Can I get you two anything to drink?" She handed each of them a little packet of pretzels.

"Water, please," Bruce answered her.

"Can I have some Sprite?" Ari asked.

The flight attendent smiled and poured the requested beverages into plastic cups. She handed the cups to Bruce and Ari as they muttered their thanks.

Ari let go of Bruce's hand so she could open her small bag of pretzels. She poured some out onto her napkin and picked one up, dunking it in her Sprite before popping it in her mouth. Bruce raised an eyebrow at her. "What?" She asked.

"That's gross," he replied.

"Hey, don't knock it 'til you try it!" Ari smiled and repeated her odd gesture.

Bruce sighed as he, too, opened his bag of pretzels. He picked one out of the bag and reached over to dip it in Ari's soda. Hesitating at first, he popped it into his mouth, contemplated his opinion of the odd mixture. "That's not bad," he said at last.

"See," Ari nudged him. "I told you so."

Banner watched as one of the other passengers got up from his eat and made his way to the lavatories at the back of the plane. The smile faded from his face. "What if the SHIELD agents are pretending to be air marshals?" He whispered to Ari.

"Damn it, Bruce!" She exclaimed quietly. "Now I'm paranoid again!"

"I'm sorry. We just can't afford to let our guard down."

Ari rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "This is going to be a long flight…"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Ari," Bruce said. "Ari, wake up." He nudged her with his elbow. She picked her head up off his shoulder and opened her eyes, blinking form the blinding brightness of the light. "Good morning, beautiful," he said.

Ari smiled and looked around at the other passengers as they took their carry-on bags out of the overhead compartments. "We're here already?" She asked as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Banner nodded. "How long was I out?"

"Basically the whole trip," Bruce laughed.

"Really? And you managed to stay calm and relaxed the whole time?"

"Well, I didn't exactly want to wake you… It's been a long couple of weeks and you deserved some rest."

Ari leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "I love you," she said. She grabbed her backpack from under the seat in front of her and stood up after unbuckling her seatbelt. "You coming?"

Bruce smiled and followed suit. Together they exited the plane and made their way through the concourse and down to the baggage claim. They hadn't checked any bags, so they continued out of the airport and hailed a cab.

A yellow car pulled up to the curb. Bruce opened the door and asked the driver if he knew where a certain hotel was. Ari didn't catch the name of it. When the driver nodded, Bruce stepped aside to let Ari climb into the car before him. The driver looked over his shoulder, looking for any oncoming traffic, before driving away.

Ari looked out of the car's window, watching as the bust streets of Mumbai, India rolled past. "Do you really think we'll be safe here?" She whispered to Bruce.

"I sure hope so," he replied as he put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him.

Minutes past and the cab driver finally pulled over in front of a run-down building. Ari got out of the yellow car while Bruce paid the driver. She stood on the sidewalk, questionably looking up at the grim, brick building. Bruce joined her. Sensing her confusion, he said, "I know it doesn't look like much, but it's only for the night."

Bruce threw his backpack over his shoulder and took Ari's hand, leading her into the building. They walked up to the front desk. Ari couldn't understand what Bruce was saying to the man at the desk, but she guessed he was asking for a room. Bruce handed over some money as he took the room key from the man at the desk.

"Let's go," Bruce said. He and Ari, not trusting the elevator, took the stairs up to the second floor of the building. They walked down the long, narrow hallway until they found their room. Bruce put the key into the lock and turned it as he pushed the door open. If Ari thought the exterior of the hotel was scary, the interior of their room was a nightmare.

The ugly red carpet was stained with who knows what. The plain white walls were plastered with all sorts of mysterious substances. The queen-sized bed made Ari wish she had brought a sleeping bag with her. "Nice place," she said as she set her backpack down on one of the nightstands.

"I know it's not the greatest," Bruce replied, "but it's just for one night and it's the safest place I could think of on such short notice."

"Where are we going tomorrow?"

"I'm not sure yet… Definitely somewhere more remote. It will make it harder for them to track us."

"Then what?" Ari asked as she sat down on the edge of the bed. She ran her hands through her hair in frustration. "I should have thought this through more. I was so focused on getting away that I never thought about what I would do afterwards."

"Hey," Bruce said as he sat down next to her. "Don't worry about it. We'll be fine."

"I know. I'm just stressed… and a little scared." She picked at the hole in her jeans, avoiding eye contact. "Do you think it's safe for me to make a phone call?"

Bruce nodded and grabbed his backpack, unzipping it. He reached in and pulled out an old looking cell phone. He handed it over to Ari. "Tony made sure that it's untraceable," he said. "So we can keep in touch."

Ari took the phone from him and stood up as she dialed the number. She went over by the window as it rang. "Hello?" Someone answered.

"Peter?" She asked.

"Oh my god! Ari! Where are you?! Are you okay?!" Peter Parker's questions came out in a rush.

"I'm fine. We're fine." She looked over at Bruce.

"Where are you? SHIELD agents have been monitoring our house and asking us all sorts of questions. Aunt May's worried about you, too."

"Tell her I'm fine," Ari said.

"You still haven't told me where you are," Peter replied, annoyed.

"Did you ever think that I can't tell you because SHIELD is probably tapping your phone lines?"

"Oh, yeah… I probably should have thought about that. Wait! Doesn't that mean that they could be tracking you right now?"

"My phone's not traceable," Ari said simply.

"Oh, okay… But you are okay, right?" Peter asked her again.

"Yes, Peter!" I'm fine!" She assured him.

"Okay! Okay! I get it," he defended himself. "I have to get going to school now. You had better stay in touch!"

"Don't worry, Pete. I will."

"I sure hope so. Bye, Ari!"

"Bye, Peter." She hung up the phone, wishing she could have talked to him longer. She thought about calling Steve, but decided against it. All she really wanted to do at that moment was take a long, hot shower. She was too stressed


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Stay so calm in times of stress," Ari clarified.

Bruce laughed a little and turned his head to look at her. They were laying in bed, trying to get some sleep. The time difference was throwing them off. "I honestly don't know how I did it before I met you. I just got used to it, I guess."

Ari smiled subconsciously, her cheeks reddening. "Steve told me that you said you were always angry, but that just didn't seem to make any sense."

"No. It doesn't," he laughed. "It probably made sense at the time, but now anymore."

Ari sighed deeply, knowing that she would never be able to get to sleep. She stared up at the blank ceiling, imagining a starry sky. She wanted to fly. It had been so long since she had last been able to spread her wings in flight. However, she had no idea that she would be flying so soon.

Both Bruce and Ari sat bolt upright in bed at the sounds of multiple cars screeching to a stop just outside the hotel. Ari threw off the covers and went over to the window. Five black SUVs were parked in the middle of the street. She recognized the blue symbol of SHIELD on the sides of the vehicles. Agents were pouring into the building.

"What is it?" Bruce asked urgently.

"They're here, Ari replied. "I thought you said that phone wasn't traceable!"

"That's what Tony told me!"

"Oh, screw Tony!" Ari pulled on a pair of jeans over her shorts and put on a sweatshirt. "Get your stuff!" She went into the bathroom and threw her toiletries into her backpack. She slipped on her shoes, not bothering with socks.

Bruce was just about finished packing when there was a knock at the door. He shared a quick glance with Ari before she opened the window and began to climb out onto the fire escape. She motioned for him to follow.

Instead of climbing down the building and into the streets, they went up to the roof. Ari spread her ebony wings and took off, circling once around the building before picking up Bruce. They flew over the city streets. Ari let out a sigh of relief, thankful for the cover of the night.

Ari kept flying until they were far away from the city. There was nothing below them but jungle. Trees were everywhere. Ari spotted a clearing and gently dropped Bruce down before circling around and landing softly on her small feet.

"That was easy," Bruce stated.

"Too easy," Ari agreed with him. She looked back up at the night sky. "I'm going to make sure that we weren't followed." She took off before Bruce had the chance to protest.

Ari flew up above the trees, using her enhanced vision to scope through the jungle terrain. She could hear the faint sound of a helicopter in the distance. She searched for the source of the sound with no such luck. She turned around and flew back towards the clearing.

She circled around once before landing lightly on her feet. "Bruce?" Ari called out quietly. There was no reply. "Bruce?!"

Panicking, Ari searched the surrounding jungle, looking for any sign of Bruce. She called out his name, hoping for an answer. None came.

She took to the sky. _Where are you, Bruce?_ She asked herself. Her breathing grew shaky and tears formed in her eyes. She feared for the worst. Ari flew over a river, hoping that he went to look for a source of water. That's when she heard it. The sound of a helicopter approaching rapidly. She looked over her shoulder and, sure enough, a SHIELD helicopter was following her.

Ari dove down into the trees, taking cover. She waited for it to pass before flying back up into the night sky, following it, planning on taking it down. She came up along the side of the helicopter and threw herself through the open door, taking the agents by surprised.

She stood her ground as they charged her and managed to throw one of the two out of the helicopter. The other agent came at her. She dodged his punches with ease before hitting him in the face, knocking him unconscious.

A pained moan sounded from behind her. Ari turned around and gasped in shock. Bruce was laying in the corner. His hands and feet were bound and there was duct tape over his mouth. He looked up at her with his big, brown eyes. They widened as he started squirming, trying to speak through the silver tape. He motioned towards the front of the helicopter with his head.

Ari turned around in the direction he was pointing to just as the gun shot sounded. She looked from the pilot's gun and back to Bruce. His eyes were wide with horror, but there was no blood on him at all.

A sharp pain ran through Ari's side. She winced as she looked down. Her white tank top was stained with her bright red blood. Time seemed to pass in slow motion as the stain grew in size. She touched the wet blood, getting it all over her pale hand. The helicopter jerked and Ari fell out of the door.

Ari was too shocked to spread her wings and fly away. She wouldn't even have been able to if she tried. She fell and fell, the murky river water getting closer with every passing second. A loud screeching noise came from the helicopter above her, and then a roar filled with rage. There was a flash of green and everything went black.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

Bruce awoke to the sun shining in his eyes. He sat up, looking around at the surrounding jungle. His skin was bare except for the shreds of what used to be his pants. He found his backpack laying only a few feet away from him, coincidentally. Bruce reached for the bag as he opened it, pulling out a pair of pants. He pulled on the denim blue jeans and stood up.

"What happened last night?" He asked himself out loud. He vaguely remembered a helicopter and the other guy had obviously made an appearance at some point. But what was it that had set him off?

He looked down at his left hand. His hand was covered with some sort of dried up, red-brown substance. _Blood_, he thought. _Ari's blood._ It all came back to him. The SHIELD agents binding his hands and feet before throwing him into the helicopter. A single gun shot. Ari falling from the helicopter. Anger. Rage. Green.

The Hulk tore apart the helicopter before diving towards Ari. He reached out for her, catching her in his massive hand before bracing himself for the landing. Bruce couldn't remember what happened after that.

Bruce grabbed a grey t-shirt from his backpack and pulled it on. He looked him, hoping to find some sign of Ari. He called out her name as he left the clearing, searching for her. He pushed his way through the brush and branches. He scanned the jungle floor, looking for footprints, for anything.

Bruce was so focused on the ground that he failed to notice the large branch in front of him. He walked into it, smacking his face on the bark and falling backwards. He rubbed the spot on his forehead that he had been hit and began to stand up, but stopped short. Next to him, on a leaf, was a single drop of partly dried blood.

Bruce stood all the way up and looked around, searching for more blood and hoping it would lead him to Ari. A few feet in front of him was another spot of coagulated blood. The rail continued on for another few yards. Every few feet there was another drop of blood. There was also an increase in fallen, broken trees. He knew he was getting closer.

His heart raced as he broke into a run, no longer needing to look at the ground to know where to go. Bruce ran through the jungle, leaping over broken stumps and fallen trees. He ran until he was out of breath and burst out into another clearing. This one, however, had obviously been made by the Hulk. At the opposite edge of the clearing lay a body. Ari.

Bruce cautiously approached her, fearing for the worst. Ari's skin was paler that usual. He knelt down next to her and gently pulled her into his arms. Her abdomen was covered in sticky, red blood. He couldn't tell if she was breathing or not.

"Ari?" Bruce whispered as he kissed the top of her head. "Ari, I'm so, so sorry."

A shudder ran through Ari's body before she let out a pained moan. Bruce smiled as he sighed in relief. She was alive. Ari was alive. Bruce had never been happier in his entire life. He pulled her even closer to him. Her skin was cold to the touch.

He gently laid her back down on the hard ground. He found her backpack laying only a few feet away from her. Bruce opened it and pulled out the first aid kit that Ari had packed, along with a bottle of water.

Bruce pulled up Ari's shirt to reveal the bloody gunshot wound. He took a piece of gauze from the first aid kit and poured water on it, getting it wet. He cleaned up the wound, washing away the dried blood. Then he carefully poured some antiseptic on it to make sure it wouldn't get infected. Ari flinched at its sting. Bruce gently brushed her dark hair out of her face as he whispered, "I'm so sorry." No matter how many times he apologized, the scientist knew that he would never be able to forgive himself for letting this happen to her.

Bruce grabbed a suture kit and opened it, knowing he would have to close the wound. To his dismay, he couldn't find any antiseptic to numb the pain. He hoped Ari's unconsciousness would be enough to keep her from feeling the needle as it pierced her pale skin.

He was just about to start sewing her up when he remembered the bullet inside of her. He found a pair of tweezers in the first aid kit. Using them, he pulled the bloody bullet from the hole in Ari's abdomen. Then he went back to closing up the wound. He used medical tape to cover it with a clean piece of gauze.

Bruce put everything back into the first aid kit and zipped it inside Ari's backpack. He sat down against a tree and pulled her back into his lap. He zipped up her blue sweatshirt in an attempt to keep her warm. Her skin was so cold, even in the heat of the Indian sun. He took a moment to take in his surroundings.

The trees were broken. Splintered stumps and logs lay everywhere. The sun shone in places that normally don't see the light. Blood stained the ground on which Ari had been laying. So much blood.

Ari had lost so much blood that Bruce wasn't sure if she was going to make it. _No_, he thought to himself. _You can't afford to think like that. _He wasn't about to just let her die in his arms. He loved her far too much to let her go. He had just gotten her back and he wasn't about to lose her again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Oh my gosh, guys I am so, so sorry for the wait. You have no idea how sorry I am. I just got carried away with an original story that I started writing and completely lost my train of thought for this one. I honestly only know how I want to end it, but that's still a little ways away. I will try my best to update again soon. In the meantime, enjoy!**

Chapter Five:

Night fell and the temperature along with it. Bruce, careful not to disturb Ari, pulled their extra sweatshirts out of their backpacks. He covered Ari and himself with the sweatshirts to keep them warm. He didn't want to light a fire, in case there were SHIELD agents in the jungle or the air, searching for them. He knew they wouldn't give up that easily.

Bruce rested his head against the tree behind him and closed his eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep. He still held Air in his arms, keeping her safe. Her breathing was staggered and slow.

A twig snapped and Bruce's eyes shot open, darting around the clearing. He carefully slid out from underneath Ari and gently laid her on the ground. He watched the edges of the clearing, searching for any signs of movement. Another twig snapped behind him and he turned around with a start. He could faintly make out a head of red hair walking through the dense jungle. Bruce took a look back at Ari before following.

Bruce climbed through the dense jungle, pushing branches out of his way as he tried to keep up with whoever it was. The jungle opened up to the clearing that he and Ari had originally landed in the night before. A red-haired woman stood in the middle of the clearing with her back to the scientist.

He stopped only a few yards behind her. "What do you want, Agent Romanoff?"

The Black Widow slowly turned around to face him. "I came here to help you."

"Why would you want to help us?" Bruce asked her. "You can't stand Ari."

"Whether I like it or not, she is part of our team," she replied. "And to be honest, she's starting to grow on me." Natasha shook her head, scarlet curls bouncing as she did. "The rest of the team is here as well. They're keeping Fury and his agents occupied until we can get you and Ari away safely."

"How? Ari… Ari's dying," Bruce choked out, "and SHIELD agents are everywhere."

"We have a safe house ready for the two of you in a remote village about twenty miles from here. SHIELD won't be able to find you there."

"What about a doctor? She's lost so much blood; I don't think she'll be able to hold on much longer."

Agent Romanoff could see the worry in his eyes. Bruce had lost so much already; he couldn't afford to lose Ari as well. It would kill him. "I will make sure that there is a doctor on board when Agent Barton arrives in the helicopter."

"And when will that be?" Bruce asked her.

"Tomorrow after nightfall."

"It will be too late. She won't last that long!"

Natasha took a moment to respond. "I'll contact Agent Barton and see if he can get the helicopter sooner."

"See if he can get it tonight," Bruce demanded. "She needs a doctor _now_."

"I'll see what I can do," she nodded.

"That's not good enough!" Bruce shouted as he punched a tree, causing his knuckles to bleed.

Agent Romanoff's hand instinctively reached for her gun in its holster. "Dr. Banner, you need to calm down. For Ari."

The scientist took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "Just get her the help she needs," he said softly before going back through the jungle, back to Ari.

She was exactly where he had left her, laying on the jungle floor. Bruce knelt down next to her and pulled her into his arms. Her skin was ice cold to the touch, but she was still breathing, even if it was barely noticeable.

Bruce held Ari's still body close to him, not wanting to let her go. He slowly rocked her in his arms, more for his own comfort than hers. He couldn't risk losing her; not after how hard she had worked to get him. In that moment, Bruce swore that he would do whatever it takes to keep Ari safe. They would make it through this. Together.


End file.
